As last week’s snow melts into the waterways around Hope, District staff is firing off an application for funding for improved flood measures.

Without an improvement to the current flood mitigation in this municipality, there are about 200 properties noted as being at greater risk if another flood event takes place. Those properties are worth an estimated $8 million.

The funding would allow for a $150,000 study that would improve the District’s overall flood protection and emergency response.

Hope has a recent history of flooding events, and evacuations.

In 2012, homes were evacuated and a special gabion system was put in place along a section of Wardle Street and Seventh Avenue.

FROM 2012: Diking system tested in Hope

And then in 2018, many of the same homes were put on an evacuation alert as waters along the Coquihalla and Fraser Rivers rose to the top of the dikes.

FROM 2018: ‘We’re not out of the woods yet’: Hope Mayor on flooding

The area is still months away from the spring freshet, which is typically in May and brings along the highest waters of the year.

For more on this issue, see a full report in this Thursday’s Standard.

Hope Standard